The origin of the Coton de Tuléar lies in Madagaska. French occupiers imported the first dogs into France in those days. From there the Coton began its triumphant advance into the whole world during the last years.

Recognized by the Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI) in 1970, a standard which describes the ideal appearance of the Coton has been sketched. Because of its lovable and devoted nature the Coton conquers the hearts of its owners quickly. Despite its small stature it is not only a dog to love and cuddle, it also is a perfect comrade for extended walks. Likewise agility training is possible with a Coton.
The Coton also gets along with other dogs and is thus the suitable secondary dog. Of course it is absolute fond of children and fundamentally not agressive or vicious.

FCI-Standard N° 283 /04. 02. 2000 / GB

TRANSLATION

ORIGIN

PATRONAGE

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD

25.11.1999.

UTILIZATION

Companion dog.

CLASSIFICATION F.C.I.

Group 9 Companion and Toy Dogs. Section 1.2 Coton de Tuléar.Without working trial.

BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY

Introduced to France long before its official recognition in 1970, this newcomer from Madagascar quickly acquired a prominent position amongst the companion dogs of this country; today it is widespread all over the world.

GENERAL APPEARANCE

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS

• The height at the withers in relationship to the length of the body is 2 to 3.

• The length of the head in relationship to that of the body is 2 to 5.

• The length of the skull in relationship to that of the muzzle is 9 to 5.

BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT

Of a happy temperament, stable, very sociable with humans and with other dogs; it adapts perfectly to all ways of life. The temperament of the Coton de Tuléar is one of the main characteristics of the breed.

HEAD

Short, seen from above triangular.
CRANIAL REGION
Skull Seen from the front slightly rounded; rather wide in relation to its length. Superciliary arches only slightly developed. Slight frontal groove. Occipital protuberance and crest only slightly accentuated. Well developed zygomatic arches.
Stop Slight.
FACIAL REGION
Nose In the extension of the nasal bridge; black; brown is tolerated; nostrils wide open.
Muzzle Straight.
Lips Fine, tight, of the same colour as the nose.
Jaws/Teeth Teeth well aligned. Scissor bite, pincer bite or inverted bite without losing contact. The absence of

the

PM1 is not penalised; the M3s are not taken into consideration.
Cheeks Lean.
Eyes Rather rounded, dark, lively, wide apart; the rims of the eyelids are well pigmented with black or brown according to the colour of the nose.
Ears Pendulous, triangular, high set on the skull, fine at the tips; carried close to the cheeks, reaching the corners of the lips. Covered with white hairs or with some traces of light grey (mixture of white and black hairs giving a light grey appearance) or red-roan (mixture of white and fawn hairs giving a red-roan appearance - lemon).

NECK

Well muscled, slightly arched. Neck well set into shoulders. Proportion of neck to body = 1/5. Clean neck with no dewlap.

BODY

Topline very slightly convex. Dog longer than high.
Withers Only slightly pronounced.
Back and loin Strong back, topline very slightly arched. Loin well muscled.
Croup Oblique, short and muscled.
Chest Well developed, well let down to elbow level, long. Ribs well sprung.
Belly Tucked up but not excessively.

TAIL

Low set, in the axis of the spinal column.
• Atrest carried below the hock, the tip being raised.
• On the move Carried « gaily » curved over the back, with the point towards the nape, the withers, the back or the loin. In dogs with abundant coat, the tip may rest on the dorsal-lumbar region.

LIMBS

FOREQUARTERS The frontlegs are upright.
Shoulder and upper arm Oblique shoulder, muscled. Scapulo-humeral angle about 120°. The length of the upper arm corresponds approximatively to that of the shoulder blade.
Lower arm Lower arms vertical and parallel, well muscled, with good bone. The length of the lower arm corresponds approximatively to that of the upper arm.
Carpus (Pastern joint) A continuation of the line of the lower arm.
Metacarpals (Pastern) Strong, seen in profile sloping very slightly.
Forefeet Small, round, toes tight, arched; pads pigmented.
HINDQUARTERS The hindlegs are upright. Though dewclaws are not sought after, their presence is not penalised.
Upper thigh Strongly muscled; coxo-femoral angle about 80°.
Lower thigh Oblique, forming with the femur an angle of about 120°.
Hock joint Dry, well defined, angle of the hock about 160°.
Metatarsals (Rear pasterns) Vertical.
Hind feet Similar to forefeet.

GAIT / MOVEMENT

Free and flowing, without covering a lot of ground; topline retained on the move. No sign of uneven movement.

SKIN

Fine, stretched tight over all the body; although of pink colour, it can be pigmented.

COAT

HAIR This is one of the main characteristics of the breed from which its very name derives. Very soft and supple, with the texture of cotton, never hard or rough, the coat is dense, profuse and can be very slightly wavy.
COLOUR Ground colour White. A few slight shadings of light grey colour (mixture of white and black hairs) or of red-roan (mixture of white and fawn hairs), are permitted on the ears. On the other parts of the body, such shadings can be tolerated, if they do not alter the general appearance of white coat. They are however not sought after.

ELIMINATING FAULTS

General type
• Lack of type (insufficient breed characteristics which means that the animal on the whole does not sufficiently resemble other examples of the breed).
• Size and weight outside the requirements and tolerance of the standard.
Particular points
• Foreface Bridge of nose convex.
• Eyes Bulging, with signs of dwarfism; too light; wall eyes.
• Ears Pricked or semi-pricked.
• Tail Not reaching to hock; high set, completely curled (forming a tight ring); carried flat on the back or against the thighs; carried candle like; tailless.
• Hair Atypical, rightly curled, woolly, silky.
• Colour Heavily marked; any marking of a definite black.
• Pigmentation Total lack of pigment on eyerims, nose or lips.
Anomalies
• Overshot or undershot mouth with lack of contact between the incisors; vertical gaping of the incisors.
• Absence of teeth other than

the

PM1 or the M3s.
• Aggressive or extremely shy specimen.

N.B.

Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.